Reading aloud is a skill. Some people seem to be ‘naturally’ better at it than others. But it is a skill and can be learned. The effectiveness of your reading aloud is something you can actively improve if you feel you need to.
- I suppose the most basic thing is to make sure all your children can hear you. But no more about that. As a teacher you know what to do.
- Probably the strongest contributors to reading aloud effectively are your energy and enthusiasm, because these will translate directly into your voice. This relates back to The Golden Rule (Tips 1). If it is a book you have read and enjoyed you will communicate it far better. Then, if you focus on getting the children engaged in and enjoying the story, this will come across more strongly than if you are just reading through the words. You don’t need to be ‘all singing, all dancing’, just focus on the story.
- The next thing you need is some variety. This can be variety of pace, pitch or volume; sometimes in combination. Dull monotony is the killer. Again you don’t need to be a contender for a best acting Oscar. Just consciously keep you voice varied and don’t be afraid to put a bit of emotion into it when appropriate. At the risk of going on about it, the biggest help in this is to know the book/story. Then you will know what is coming, when the ‘quiet’ bits are, when the excitement comes, etc. If the writing is good (which it should be if you are reading the right books) then the author’s use of words and language will help you too, by identifying different moods, emotions and situations.
- Children generally like it when a reader can ‘do the voices’ of the different characters. This is really quite a difficult skill though; not least remembering which voice you did for which character, over the course of an extended read. If you feel confident to do it, great. If you don’t, it really isn’t essential, and it’s probably better not to try. You ought to be able to manage a bit of differentiation between speakers and narration though. For example you can use a slightly lighter voice for children speaking, a deeper one for adults, as opposed to your natural pitch for narration.
- Finally it has to be said that you can improve with practice. It is not necessary to rehearse each day’s reading before you do it. That is asking far too much of a working teacher. But, once you know what you are aiming for, a bit of general practice from time to time does help. And of course practice with some feedback is even better. If you are very self-conscious you can record a bit on your phone and provide your own feedback. However, a practice partner is almost certainly best. If you have a friend (on your staff?) with whom you can agree to practise with mutual constructive feedback, then you should feel you are in it together and be able to help and support each other.
